Jury orders LA to pay nearly $50 million to man hit by city sanitation truck

Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times on Jul 18, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — The city of Los Angeles must pay nearly $50 million to a man who has been in a coma since he was hit by a sanitation truck while crossing a street in Encino, a jury decided Thursday.

Kamran Hakimi, now 61, was in a crosswalk at Hayvenhurst Avenue and Ventura Boulevard last August when the sanitation truck struck him. Hakimi had a green light, and the driver made an "unsafe right turn," according to Hakimi's attorneys.

A handlebar on the front of the truck hit Hakimi's head and flung him to the asphalt, where he hit his head, the attorneys said. Hakimi briefly stood and flashed a thumbs up before losing consciousness.

"Mr. Hakimi's life, and the lives of his family, are forever changed due to the negligence of a City of Los Angeles employee," said Rahul Ravipudi, one of Hakimi's attorneys. "This verdict upholds the dignity of the life Mr. Hakimi enjoyed before this tragedy and we are grateful to the jury who carefully considered all the evidence and provided Mr. Hakimi with the means necessary to get the higher level of care he so desperately needs."

Hakimi is a father of five and worked in real estate before the crash. In October, his attorneys filed a lawsuit against the city in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The city admitted that the driver failed to yield to Hakimi, according to Hakimi's attorneys. But at trial, the city "disputed the damages suffered by Mr. Hakimi, arguing that his life expectancy was limited and that the value of his non-economic damages, including pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of enjoyment of life, was minimized because he was in a comatose state," Hakimi's attorneys said.

The jury ordered the city to pay Hakimi $48.8 million, including $25 million for future pain and suffering and $10 million for future medical expenses.

The verdict, which comes as the city continues to struggle with escalating legal liability payouts, was larger than any single payout by the city in the last two fiscal years, according to data provided by the City Attorney's Office. The city can still appeal.

Another Hakimi attorney, Brian Panish, said the case never should have gone to trial, blaming City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto for refusing to settle the case.

"The city attorney chose to force this case to trial, rejected all reasonable settlement proposals … There were many reasonable proposals made by an independent mediator chosen by the city," Panish said.

Feldstein Soto, through her press office, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Panish echoed arguments made by plaintiffs' attorneys who have said that Feldstein Soto's legal strategies have contributed to rising legal liability costs. They claim that Feldstein Soto has taken cases to trial that she should have settled, resulting in bigger verdicts if the city is found liable.

The city paid out a total of $289 million, its highest liability costs ever, in the fiscal year 2025.